Temple Fork BVK?

[tam474]

Hi There,

I am looking at getting into fly fishing and considering buying the temple forks bvk rod. I was thinking about the 9' 6 wt for fishing in and around calgary. If anyone has experience with the bvk or temple fork products i would love to hear what you have to say. Also I am unsure of what type of reel to match it with. Any opinions or suggestions would help. Any rod in the 2-300 range?

Thanks,

Taylor

[Dust1n]

I fish with the TFO Pro Series rod and i love it. had good warrenty with it(snapped the tip on the door) and landed a fair share of albertas sportfish.(walleye,Pike,12lb bows,brookies,browns,whitefish,the list goes on.
Its a meduim action rod so its good in small creeks to med sized river like parie creek, it also is awsome for pothole fishing too. The rod works in the bow fine although it should be another wt up and a good 6 inches more. i dry fly and streamer fish it.
the hobbs creek for 40 bucks is a very reliable reel for it. awsome drag and tough. the dragon chilcotin is what i got on it now.
Deffinitly go with the TFO...

[Scott N]

I have one of the Lefty Kreh TFO rods and really like it. In my opinion it's a good rod for the money, but my budget doesn't allow for a Sage or similar. They have a good reputation for looking after warranty work if necessary, and I think it's done right here in Calgary if I'm not mistaken.

A 6wt is a good choice for an "all round" flyrod, depending on where you plan on fishing. It might be a bit heavy for smaller streams, or it might be a bit light for heavy nymphing / streamer fishing, or pike fishing, but will be a serviceable rod just the same. I started with a 6 wt, but I’ve also added an 8wt and a 4wt to my collection. I could still get by using just the 6 wt, but I like the 8wt for the Bow, and I like the 4wt for dries and lake fishing.

There are lots of reels on the market, I wouldn't worry too much about the reel since it's basically just for storing your line. More expensive reels have better drag systems, which really are only needed for larger fish. I would look for a reel that you can get exchangeable spools for so that you can fish with floating, sinking, or sink tip line. That gives you a lot more flexibility for your fishing method.

[tam474]

Thanks for the replies guys! I was considering going for a more expensive rod like a sage but as I am a begginer I think I should stick with the TFO. Sounds like a good product for the price

[MK2750]

The TFO Signature Series at $139 two piece is one of the best deals in the industry for a beginner fly rod. They loose me on the 2-300 dollars rods as there is a lot of better options in this price range IMO.

My son uses a 9'6" 5wt CPX Redington for river fishing and on the pontoon and it is a far nicer rod than the equivalent TFO that he also has. It has all kinds of backbone for droppers, nymphs and large hoppers. In windy conditions it shines.

He also has the RS4 Redington in 4wt 8'6". For a dry fly rod it presents better than my Z-Axis. It is super light and very nicely finished for a $200 rod.

The warranty matches the TFOs but they are not right is Calgary.

You might want to look at the Sage Vantage and Flight series, Pieroway, and Admundson. Winston also has a nice rod in your price range as well.

I see used Z-Axis for sale in that $400 range. If one rod for fits all is what you are after I would try and find a 5 or 6wt. They just do everything very well.

Try every rod you can get your hands on. Finding what fits your casting style is more important than brand name.

[huntin'fool]

you will not be disappointed with a BVK. it is a slightly faster action rod, which i find is better for begginers (the ones I teach anyways). beginners seem to have a tendency to cast much to fast and not let the line reach its natural loop before forward casting. this rod helps alleviate that a little bit.

But, simply as an all around rod, it is the bet bang for your buck - hands down. a really nice rod. i've fished the BVK in 9' #6 and in a 8'6" #5.

[jeprli]

That is a very fast rod for a begginer, i'd pick something slower that loads faster with less line out. Once you get a hang of it then you should get something "better". There are a great deal of good rods in $300 range, lots of choices tp consider.

[tam474]

What about the redington CPX 9' 7 wt?
Any opinions?

[MK2750]

What about the redington CPX 9' 7 wt?
Any opinions?

Great rod but specific in use. Good river rod for larger trout, eyes and small/med pike. Tough to control on smaller streams and because of the line type it requires to load properly it will not present small drys very well.

The CPX is a fast rod which can be a bit unforgiving. A 5wt. would be my choice or maybe a 6 if I was to be fishing mostly the Bow etc.

[780sjc]

I've casted both the CPX and the BVK. The BVK casts like a dream and is an awesome rod with a top notch warranty. However!.. I've heard some horror stories involving them breaking. And more than once while out fishing I have seen them break within the first few casts brand new out of the tube. Now to be fair I always factor in the possibly of it being bumped or hit in a way that while casting such a thing might happen. But personally seeing it happen twice and also hearing it happen many times to others has made me question the rod. Although each time their excellent warranty covered the breakage. But again, to be fair I've heard other feedback that they cast and fish beyond satisfactory levels. I guess it's one of those things where if you get a good one it works great but if you don't, you may go through warranty a couple times till you do.

As for the CPX, it's a fast rod with lots of back bone which I love. I just ordered mine last week in a 9'6 6 weight. Extremely excited to fish with it.

Hope this helps some.

[tacklerunner]

What about the redington CPX 9' 7 wt?
Any opinions?

I would stick with a 5 or 6 wt. I use a 5 wt Sage for almost all applications and regularly fish with guys who use 3 wt rods for dry flys, nymphing with heavy nymphs and over sized bobbers and chuck streamers for big bulls without a problem.

Having said that, whatever you get, there is going to be a lengthy learning process.

P.S. I own/have owned TFO and Redington products as well and they are great.

[FlYiNGuY]

I fished a TFO BVK 10wt in Cuba this past spring for river Tarpon, worked great, The BVK's cast great!

If your looking for a slower action I have a Gloomis Xperience 8wt I'll sell for a couple hundred.


I use a TFO Axiom 5wt for the Bow, and also love the rod. I think the BVK is quite similar. (Fast action)

[alacringa]

I have a 9' 6 wt BVK, and really like it a lot. As others have said, casts really well. No problems with breaking yet.

[commieboy]

I own three TFO rods. A 9' 6wt Lefty Kreh Signature, a 7'6" 3 wt Professional series, and a 9' 5wt BVK. The difference between the three is significant. The BVK is definitely a rod worth purchasing. I know there are TFO haters out there, but if they were to cast this rod blind, I think most of them would be very impressed. Here is an article I found which I have posted here before:

http://www.yellowstoneangler.com/FlyRodReview.Best5weightflyrod.HardyZenith.SageZ-axis.WinstonB3x.WinstonBIIIx.LoomisNRX.SageVXP.StC roixLegendEliteTempleforkBVK.asp

My BVK has caught many Bow river browns and rainbows and it has yet to show any signs of stress. My Signature series had a bruise in one section (my fault... big streamer vs tailing loops) and warranty replacement was easy. No receipt needed, done in seconds. Cost $30, though.

The BVK has ample power, is fairly accurate (except up close) and is very light. Good rod for the money. Also check out the Winston Passport series. Bow River Troutfitters carries them.

[goldscud]

I have 9ft, 6wt BVK. Best Temple fork rod yet. Light, fast and easy to cast.
Easy to throw 30ft leaders for lake fishing or cast a whole full sinking line. Also very easy to cast a bunch of junk while nymphing the Bow.

[32-40win]

I've had to go into Springbrook with broken TFO rods, one was a tip likely broken by a vacuum cleaner in the room, 25.00, new tip. One was a tip that had been whacked a bunch of times with really heavy salt water streamers, 25.00, new tip. And one that stuck together, three people tried to pull it apart, no go, busted it over my knee to bring it home, 50.00, new rod. All done right there on the spot.

[tacklerunner]

I've had to go into Springbrook with broken TFO rods, one was a tip likely broken by a vacuum cleaner in the room, 25.00, new tip. One was a tip that had been whacked a bunch of times with really heavy salt water streamers, 25.00, new tip. And one that stuck together, three people tried to pull it apart, no go, busted it over my knee to bring it home, 50.00, new rod. All done right there on the spot.

Their service is great. They bumped their service price a bit to $30 per section for replacement but who can argue with that? If you break a tip and they can't match the top section to the bottom, it's $60 for 2 new pieces and you end up with a brand new rod.

[dryflyguy]

Agree, TFO has a good product. I have been using a Lefty Kreh Signature Series 9' 8WT 4PC for salt water and large trout (bulls) and I am really pleased with it. Loads up great, lots of backbone and best of all the warranty location is close to home (relatively speaking).
I am looking at replacing an aging R.L. Winston Ibis 4WT and am considering going with a TFO, just based on the experience I have had to this point.